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Tharp History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Tharp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Tharp comes from when the family resided in the area referred to as the thorp which is the Old English word for village, farmstead or hamlet. 1 The surname Tharp is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel. In this case the place-name Thorpe was found in various locations in England.

Early Origins of the Tharp family

The surname Tharp was first found in Yorkshire, Surrey, Essex, Lincolnshire, Durham and other locations throughout Britain. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists six locations in Britain all having the spelling Torp. 2 "The Thorps of Ryton, county Durham, as said to be descended from Robert Thorpe, of Thorpe, near Wellwyke, in Holderness, who flourished in the reign of King John. " 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1237 lists: Adam de la Throppe in Wiltshire; Augustinus de Thorpe in Suffolk; and Warin de Thorpe in Cambridgeshire. 4

The Pipe Rolls of Northumberland list William de Torp in 1158 and the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1287 list Robert be Thorp. The Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland (Cumbria) list Jak de Thorp in 1332. 5 Another branch of the family was found at Thorpe in Surrey in later years.

"The manor appears to have been held under the abbots of Chertsey in the 15th century, by a family named Thorpe: after the Dissolution, Queen Elizabeth granted the lands to Sir John Wolley, her Latin secretary." 6

One of the first on record was Robert de Thorpe (fl. 1290), an English judge, who "appears to have been head of an ancient family residing at Thorpe Thewles, near Stockton, Durham, and to have descended from Geoffrey de Torp, who in 1166 held that estate of the bishopric of Durham as half a knight's fee." 7

John de Thorpe (d. 1324), Baron Thorpe, was an English judge, apparently son of Robert de Thorpe of North Creak and Ashwell-Thorpe, Norfolk. "By his wife Maud, [he] came of a family of wealth and importance in Norfolk and Suffolk. His son, Robert de Thorpe or Thorp (1294?-1330), Baron de Thorpe, was also a judge and was thirty years old at his father's death. " 7

Early History of the Tharp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tharp research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1346, 1350, 1361, 1407, 1565, 1569, 1595, 1655 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Tharp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tharp Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Tharp has been recorded under many different variations, including Thorp, Thorpe, Thropp, Thrupp and others.

Early Notables of the Tharp family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William de Thorpe (died 1361), an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 26 November 1346 to 26 October 1350; John Thorpe (1565-1655), English architect; William Thorpe, putative author of "The Testimony of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tharp Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tharp Ranking

In the United States, the name Tharp is the 2,258^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 8

Tharp migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Tharp or a variant listed above:

Tharp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Tharp, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1799 9

Tharp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Albert Tharp, who landed in Arkansas in 1891 9
Daniel W. Tharp, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States, in 1897

Tharp Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Agnes Tharp, aged 38, who landed in America from Hammersmith, England, in 1909
Richard Francis Tharp, aged 5, who landed in America from Hammersmith, England, in 1909
Beniah Tharp, aged 37, who settled in America, in 1910
Ernest Ed. Tharp, aged 32, who settled in America from London, England, in 1911
Harry Tharp, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Tharp (post 1700) +

Taylor Tharp (b. 1984), American NFL football quarterback
Stephen Tharp, American concert organist
Reynold Tharp (b. 1973), American composer of contemporary classical music
William Tharp (1803-1865), American farmer and politician, Governor of Delaware
Taylor Tharp (b. 1984), American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL
Marie Tharp (1920-2006), American geologist and oceanographic cartographer
Twyla Tharp (b. 1941), American dancer/choreographer

The Tharp Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Super antiquas vias
Motto Translation: Upon the ancient tracks.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)